A #1 international bestseller in the vein of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove: a funny and tender-hearted tale about friendship, love, and an old man who is young at heart.Technically speaking, Hendrik Groen is….elderly. But at age 83 1/4, this feisty, indomitable curmudgeon has no plans to go out quietly. Bored of weak tea and potted geraniums, exasperated by the indignities of aging, … indignities of aging, Hendrik has decided to rebel – on his own terms. He begins writing an exposé: secretly recording the antics of day-to-day life in his retirement home, where he refuses to take himself, or his fellow “inmates,” too seriously.
With an eccentric group of friends, he founds the wickedly anarchic Old-But-Not-Dead Club, and he and his best friend, Evert, gleefully stir up trouble, enraging the home’s humorless director and turning themselves into unlikely heroes. And when a sweet and sassy widow moves in next door, he polishes his shoes, grooms what’s left of his hair, and determines to savor every ounce of joy in the time he has left, with hilarious and tender consequences.
A bestselling phenomenon that has captured imaginations around the world, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen is inspiring, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny with a deep and poignant core: a page-turning delight for readers of any age.
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The story of a senior citizen retirement facility told by one of the seniors. It would be sad but it is told with a sense of humor. The location of the home is in Holland but it illustrates the fact that seniors face the same problems no matter if they live in the United States or Europe.
I’ve been involved in senior care for a number of years and this rings true… painfully in many instances. It’s balanced by well done characters succeeding in finding ways to circumvent institutional care and bring humanity and humor to their lives.
This book was an enlightening look through the eyes of an elderly man living in an old people’s home. Hendrik is determined to make the most of his last days by finding friends who have a positive attitude. They form the Old But Not Dead Club. Each member arranges an excursion with a suprise destination. Now the fun begins.
Lovely story; great characters. My only “but” is that this book runs waaaay too long.
Sometimes sad; sometimes funny. This book touched my heart in a special and surprising way. A realistic look at old age and the ending of life. I wish it covered more than one year. I would love to know what happens to Henk and his friends next year!
I loved this book and have recommended it to family and friends. The characters are adorable and the stories funny and yet a serious look at senior care.
Disappointing. It was a great idea for a book, but it was silly, and it was nowhere near what an actual elder would have to say. Even though I knew it was a fake memoir, I still had hopes it would be good, but it was corny and much too fakey, like a grade school play.
Just wonderful
As a senior of a certain age, I loved this book.
I’m a 70-year-old female expecting to go to an assisted living facility soon. Also, I saw my parents live at an independent living apartment for several years. This book was so true-to-life. Other books about aging in a facility instead of in your own home seem to be depressing, but I got plenty of laughs from this version.
I think you need to be a certain “age” to appreciate Hendrik! But then, you’ll LOVE him! The tarnished Golden Years are what you make of them … and Hendrik makes the best of them any way he can!
Certainly, there are sad stories here. With a cast of over-the-hillers in a retirement facility there are bound to be. Nevertheless, Hendrik and his pals take the bull by the horns and refuse to “go quietly into the night”!
Having just moved into a senior apartment building at the tender age of 65 years young, I could do with a few Hendriks around here. Maybe I’ll just have to emulate him and start my own Old But Not Dead club???
I really enjoyed this book and have recommended it to friends. The characters are engaging, the topic real, mixing humor with tender and moving scenes.
It was a cute read
A fascinating, clear-eyed look at one year of Hendrik Groen’s life in a private retirement/ continuing care facility in the Netherlands. While his treatment of the people and events is unsentimental it is hardly uncaring or distant. He is very engaged in the life of his friends and a keen observer of all the residents. There are a number of amusing passages and several observations on the life of seniors in the Netherlands that illustrate the common concerns of growing old in any country, even in the richest nations. The structure of the book is that of a diary with almost daily entries. As such, momentous happenings are dropped without prelude into the continuing narrative of the residents’ plans and routines. The effect is jarring and authentic, conveying the fragility of existence at this stage of life where nothing can be expected to continue for very long. The overall effect is not depressing but certainly sober and no trite answers to the difficult questions.
This was a funny and sad book. It really addresses the plight of senior citizens trapped in assisted living facilities.
I’m a little to close to that age, maybe too real. It was good, but I had trouble with the Dutch names .
Life in a retirement home in Netherlands was interesting to me.
Perhaps its better not to know about what the “golden years” have in store for us all but our narrator tells all about everybody. Both good and bad, funny and sad and as real as it gets.
Hendrik Groen is a witty, thoughtful, and worldly-wise Senior Citizen with a lot to say. His real-life diary of a year in a Dutch pension facility, with all the challenge, rebelliousness, interpersonal discord, friendship, romance, heartache, and hope is a window into the world of our Elders. (Yes, in Amsterdam, elder life seems remarkably similar to the American experience.) As someone who offers activities for Seniors in similar places, I enjoyed it, and value the insight it provides.
Nothing new here, same old predictable “old people” humor.